


The Pawn

by blackjacktheboss



Series: mob au [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: a pinch of sexual language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:11:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23987914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackjacktheboss/pseuds/blackjacktheboss
Summary: a betrayal no one saw coming
Series: mob au [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1102638
Comments: 27
Kudos: 282





	The Pawn

Silena Beauregard fell in love with Charles Beckendorf the day after her twentieth birthday, when he walked into her father’s chocolate shop to buy candy for another girl. She gave him way too many free samples as they flirted over the counter, her heart fluttering the entire time. 

“I’m Charles,” he said as he reached for her hand. 

“Silena,” she said as she reached for his right back. “It’s nice to meet you Charlie.” 

He tilted his head a bit, like the immediate bestowal of a nickname was unexpected, but he didn’t correct her. “It’s nice to meet you too.” 

Later, her father would scold her for how distracted she was the rest of the afternoon, but after Charlie left, the only chocolate she wanted to talk about was the chocolate brown of his eyes. That night she said a silent prayer to the gods of love that the beautiful 6’4” man of her dreams would come back into her life somehow; they had never let her down a day in her life, and the next day proved to be no different. 

It was a slow day at the shop, as Wednesdays tended to be, and Silena busied herself sorting the chocolates by key ingredient when she heard the familiar ding of the bell they kept near the register. 

As soon as she saw Charlie standing there, all proper with his arms behind his back, she smiled unabashedly and rushed towards him. 

“Hi,” she said, trying to keep some illusion of cool. 

Charlie laughed. “Hi.” 

Silena quickly smoothed her apron and tucked her hair behind her ears. “So, did your girlfriend like the chocolates?” 

“Oh, those weren’t for my girlfriend,” he said nonchalantly. 

Silena’s smile turned curious. “Then who were they for?” 

Charlie brought his arms around the front and revealed a small box of chocolates he held in his hands, with a signature purple bow that Silena always used when she worked. 

He slid the box to her and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I hope you like them. I had an expert help me pick them out, so they come highly recommended.” 

She stood there for a moment, taking him and all his handsomeness in, and she hoped to god she wasn’t blushing as hard as she suspected she might be. 

The silence seemed to make Charlie nervous. “I’ve just noticed you around town a few times and the other day, I saw you come in here so I--” 

“Dad,” Silena called over her shoulder. 

A handsome older man with sandy brown hair and glasses that made him look dignified poked his head through the doorway that led to the back. “Yes, dear?” 

“I’m taking my break.” 

The man eyed Charlie curiously for a brief moment before smiling at his daughter. “Okay, dear, be safe.” 

Charlie sighed in relief and Silena felt herself blush yet again, but reveled in the feeling of something new coming to life, like a flower blooming in the spring. 

Sitting outside her dad’s shop sharing chocolates was the first afternoon her and Charlie spent together, and somehow Silena knew in her heart that it wasn’t even close to being their last. 

* * *

Annabeth stood, slamming her hand against her desk as rage set her entire body on fire in a way she had never known. When her mother began to properly train her to take over the business someday, she warned Annabeth several times over about all the ways in which people would try to deceive her; the betrayals would be countless and they would never be personal. That was the business and it was Annabeth’s job to be prepared for every possible scenario. But this scenario… this one came from her blindspot, who also happened to be her right-hand man. 

Travis stood in front of her, his eyes betraying the nervousness he was trying to keep at bay. 

She hung her head, concentrating on her breathing to try and regain some focus. “Does he know?” 

Travis shook his head but then realized Annabeth wasn’t even looking at him. “N-no, boss, he doesn’t. I just… had a feeling. Noticed a pattern with the seizures and decided to trail her on a whim and… well you know the rest.” 

Annabeth stood and placed her hands on her hips, continuing to take measured breaths as she looked out of the window. “Where is he right now?” 

“He’s down at the docks all week keeping an eye on things himself.” 

Annabeth nodded. “Okay. Go start the car, I wanna go for a drive.” 

Travis again nodded and excused himself, moving as if he could not get out of the study fast enough. Annabeth poured herself a shot of whiskey, knocking it back and wincing at the way it burned its way through her. 

“Un-fucking-believable,” she said to herself, opening her desk drawer and retrieving a gun that had belonged to her mother. It had her mother’s name inscribed along the barrel and a white pearl handle. It felt familiar and comfortable in her hand. “As if this week couldn’t get any worse.” 

* * *

Silena sat in the back of an SUV next to Annabeth Chase as Travis looked straight ahead and drove right past the city limits. She tried to casually look down at her phone, and frowned when she found that she had absolutely no reception as they headed towards the mountains. 

“So,” she said, trying to keep a calm tone. “Where are we going?” 

Annabeth stared out of the window concentrating on the world as it flashed by. “Somewhere that’s safe to talk.” 

It was a tone meant to silence, and Silena took the hint. For another forty-five minutes they rode without speaking until they came to a small dirt road whose end was obstructed by trees. Travis made the left turn, finally sparing Silena a glance in the rearview mirror, but when their eyes met, she desperately wished they hadn’t.

The car came to a stop in front of a small, simple cabin and Silena closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the headrest as a sinking feeling gripped her chest. 

“You know, don’t you?” she asked as she opened her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. 

“Unfortunately for both of us,” Annabeth said, looking at Silena for the first time since she got in the car. “Yes, I do.” 

* * *

Luke Castellan sitting on her front steps was the last thing Silena expected to see when she came home from work on that fateful Tuesday. They had gone to school together for as long as she could remember and even though he was a couple years older, he was never shy about giving her attention. For a few years, they had been each other’s no strings attached hookup but as soon as Charlie entered the picture, she let him know their arrangement was over. He took it well and hadn’t bothered her, which is why seeing him was such a shock to her system. 

“Hey Silena,” he called in that playful and flirtatious tone he always used with her. “Long time, no see.” 

Silena stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” 

“Can’t a guy visit his old friend?” 

“Of course he can, but you’re forgetting one key detail,” she said as she walked past him.

“What’s that?” 

She spun around to face him. “We were never friends,” she said in a stage whisper. 

Luke nodded smugly. “I suppose you’re right. Most friends probably haven’t made each other come as much as we have.” 

Silena’s entire body stiffened. “What do you want, Luke?” 

“I have a proposition for you.” 

She turned back to her door, quickly opening it. “Not interested.” 

“It’s about your precious _Charlie_ ,” he said, the name curling off his tongue in a way that made Silena want to cut it off. 

After a few moments in silence, she stepped back, silently letting Luke in. 

He draped himself over the couch with the man spread of her nightmares, his smile suddenly insidious. “This is a nice place you and your boy got here, Lena. But I gotta be honest, this is not exactly the lap of luxury I imagine a girl like you living in.” 

“What does that mean?” She asked as she sat across from him in her favorite purple chair. 

“It means you’re a hard ten, and you know it. I figured you’d end up with a guy who’d keep you in some big ass mansion, not this nice little cottage” 

“Thanks for your concern but I’m perfectly happy in this house.” 

Luke nods as his eyes scan the rest of the living room, making Silena shift nervously. 

“You do have one thing that screams luxury though.” 

“And what’s that?” 

“That $100,000 security system I noticed on my way in. Pretty impressive. And I’m sure it means Charles will be calling any second to check in with you, won’t he?” 

On cue, her phone began to buzz from inside her purse, which she had dumped beside the chair. 

Luke’s smile grew as he placed a gun on the table in front of him. “Tell him everything is fine.” 

“I don’t lie to Charlie,” she said as she swallowed hard. 

“That’s perfect,” Luke said. “Cause it means he’ll believe you.” 

She carefully reached for the phone, and did her best to keep her voice calm. “Hi, love.” 

“Everything ok?” Charlie asked in the same serious tone he always used when discussing Silena’s safety. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, baby.” 

“You sure?” Charlie huffed. “Because the security app alerted me that someone was at the house.” 

“It’s just an old friend. I’m interviewing him for a piece.” 

Charlie was silent for a moment and Silena could only imagine how intensely his face must be scrunched. She looked at Luke, who winked at her, making her skin crawl. 

“Call me when he leaves?” Charlie said, more a statement than a request.  
  
“I will, promise. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

As Silena put the phone away, Luke began a slow clap. “Masterful. Really, I’m impressed. For someone who doesn’t lie to her boyfriend, you did it amazingly well.”

Silena scowled at him wondering how often healthy twenty-six year olds tended to drop dead. “If it’s between lying and keeping him safe, it’s a pretty easy choice.” 

Luke’s sinister smile grew. “I’m so glad you feel that way.” 

* * *

Silena and Annabeth sat in chairs on the cabin’s back porch, overlooking a small lake as the pink and purple sunset sky began to darken. Travis appeared with two glasses, handing one to each of the ladies before moving to lean against the porch railing with his hands shoved into his pockets. 

“So how does it work?” Annabeth asked. 

Silena took a sip of her drink, wincing slightly at the immediate burn of the vodka. “Well, he only cares about if Charlie isn’t home at night. I assumed it was just a weird police thing. And we use a texting code that we send back and forth.” 

“Travis found you out because you met in person,” Annabeth said coldly. 

“That was a one off,” Silena said, looking down into her glass. “He wanted to threaten me again after I ignored his text one night.” 

“So other than that, all you’ve been doing is telling him when Charles is gone all night?” Travis asked. 

Silena nodded, looking at Travis. “That’s all he’s ever asked me. Luke texts me asking what’s up and if I text back “nothing”, he knows Charlie is gone but if I say “I’m busy”, it means Charlie’s home with me.”

“Give Travis your phone,” Annabeth instructed, her eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. 

Silena handed it to Travis who removed a device from his jacket pocket and hooked it up to the phone. 

“Should only take a couple minutes, boss.” 

Annabeth nodded. “Great. Why don’t you go finish up inside? Silena and I need to have a bit of girl talk.” 

Travis looked between the women nervously, but did as he was told. “Sure. I gotta check in with Connor anyway.” 

The slam of the screen door shutting spooked Silena, making her spill part of her drink. 

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “Word of advice, Silena. If you hear a shot, that means it wasn't meant for you.” 

Silena covered her face, unable to stop the tears that burst from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Annabeth. I never meant-- I only wanted to protect Charlie. Luke said it was either help him, or lose Charlie.” 

Annabeth looked back at the wilderness that stretched out before them and took a slow sip of her drink. “What did Luke say exactly?”

Silena choked back a sob and wiped the tears from her face, taking a large gulp of her drink. “He said that if I helped him, he could make sure Charlie stayed safe, but if I didn’t that-” 

“That what?” Annabeth prompted, looking at Silena. 

Silena looked Annabeth in the eye. “That Charlie would look just as good in a jumpsuit or a bodybag as he did in an Italian suit, and he didn’t care which it was.” 

Silena watched as Annabeth’s face turned red, the rage in her eyes clear as day. Annabeth stood abruptly, chugging the rest of her drink and throwing the glass across the deck, clenching her fist as it crashed against a support beam. 

“I need to shoot something,” she growled, stomping her way down the deck stairs. When she reached the bottom, she realized Silena wasn’t following her. “You coming?” 

Silena gripped her cup nervously, her mouth dry. “Um… Is it-- is it me that you intend to shoot?” 

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself. I know a pawn when I see one. Now, let’s go. I imagine you have plenty to be angry about right now too.” 

* * *

Silena followed Annabeth through a small stretch of forest until they reached a clearing lit up by countless fairy lights strung up along the trees. On the opposite end from where they entered stood a stretch of wooden fence, and on top of each of its five posts was a glass beer bottle.

“I’ll be honest,” Annabeth said as she cocked her gun. “At first, I absolutely wanted to kill you, but Travis talked me down, and then I realized something.” 

“What’s that?” Silena asked, her eyes trained on the weapon.

Annabeth took aim at one of the bottles. “That as angry as I am about you betraying Charles, you probably feel just as guilty.” 

Three shots rang out, and three bottles exploded in time, each one causing Silena to jump and her heart to skip a beat. 

Annabeth quirked an eyebrow at her. “Charles has never taken you to the gun range?” 

“Well, yes,” Silena said with an embarrassed shrug, her body trembling slightly as she crossed her arms. “But I was a little distracted by my very hot boyfriend wrapped around me. I mean, it was more foreplay than self defense training.” 

Annabeth shook her head. “I have to do everything myself around here.” 

* * *

Travis tiptoed into the clearing cautiously, praying that he didn’t have to be the one to tell Charles that Annabeth had murdered his girlfriend or worse, take the wrap for his boss. Charles would definitely strangle him with his bare hands.

What Travis found in that clearing was not a scary blonde towering over the dead body of a raven-haired hottie, but rather the blonde wrapped around the woman with black hair as she taught her how to shoot a gun. 

After taking a minute to breathe and readjust his pants, Travis approached as loudly as possible so as to not startle the ladies holding guns. 

“Boss?” he called. 

Annabeth dropped her arms from around Silena and turned towards her second most trusted employee. “What’s up?” 

Travis held up Silena’s phone, a message notification lighting up the screen. “We’re on.” 

* * *

Charles climbed into the passenger seat of an SUV, rolling his eyes as soon as he saw it was Connor who was driving. 

“Hey stud!” Connor said with a goofy smile as he aggressively chewed on some gum. “Where to?” 

“I’m not in the mood, Connor. What’s going on?” 

“Oh yeah,” Connor said, as he pulled the car back into the street. “So, we’re setting a trap for this Luke kid.”

“And what does that have to do with me not keeping an eye on the warehouse?” 

“You got eyes on you, boss,” Connor said with a quick sideways glance. “Annabeth wants you on surveillance with me. She said you’ll get it once you see it.” 

Charles shook his head but leaned back in the seat, defeated. “I can protect the shipment if that’s what she was worried about.” 

Connor turned right down a small service road that led to the backside of the shipping yard. He waved casually to Argus, the yard’s security guard, who waved them through with a smile. 

“I love that guy,” Connor said as he glanced back in his rear view mirror and continued to pop his gum. “He knows how to party.” 

Connor put the car in park between two shipping containers and turned off the headlights. 

“Now, we wait,” he declared, popping his gum dramatically. 

Charles turned to his companion and glared. “Pop your gum one more fucking time.” 

Connor gave a closed lip smile, parting his lips slowly as he began to blow a bubble. It expanded until it overtook his face, deflating unceremoniously. 

Charles held his hand out and Connor laughed, balling up the frayed bubblegum and placing it in his superior’s hand. Charles kept eye contact as he lowered his window and threw the gum out before rolling his window right back up. 

“Seriously, what’s the plan here?” Charles asked, his attention turned back to the warehouse across from them. 

Connor reached into the back seat and pulled out a camera, fiddling with the lens and taking a few shots of the lonely warehouse entrance. “Patience, grasshopper.” 

Charles rolled his eyes and huffed, tapping his finger nervously against the door handle, when beams of light washed over the road before them. Connor readied the camera as Charles leaned forward trying to discern what exactly was unfolding. 

More lights appeared and three more cars arrived at the warehouse, a crowd of brutish looking men pouring out of them. Luke stood at the center, the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head, but not enough to obscure his face. Charles drew his gun from his waist, but Connor reached over, lowering the weapon. 

“It’s not that kind of party, Charles. We’re gonna get him a different way.” 

The sound of an incessant string of clicks filled the car as Luke spoke to the crowd of men, lead them into the warehouse, and supervised as they loaded the cars with all of the crates that were meant to be Annabeth’s latest shipment. 

“I could kill him right now and we could be done with this,” Charles growled. 

Connor snapped one last picture of Luke smiling without a care in the world, his face framed perfectly by the floodlights that lined the warehouse, as he watched three cars drive off with the stolen loot. 

“That’s the money shot,” Connor said smugly, unwrapping another piece of gum. 

As he raised the gum to his mouth, Charles reached over and smacked it out of his hand. 

“Drive.” 

* * *

Silena stared into the fire and reluctantly took a sip of the whiskey Annabeth had poured for her. They sat together in silence, drinking and staring off into space listening to nothing but the crackle of the fire and the ticking of the antique clock that sat on the mantelpiece. 

“What am I gonna tell Charlie?” Silena asked, her voice small. “He’s never gonna forgive me.” 

Annabeth poured herself more whiskey and shrugged her shoulders. “I’m really not the person to ask.” 

“But I am asking you. You’re his best friend.” 

Annabeth raised her eyebrows as she bit her bottom lip and looked down into her glass. “Hey Charles, need some help removing that very large knife from your back?” 

Silena closed her eyes as she tried not to cry. 

“Fuck,” Annabeth said as she sat up and noticed Silena’s expression. “I’m sorry, Silena. It’s not… I’m bad at this, okay? The only people I trust are people I also happen to pay very well, so you can imagine how that’s fucked with my ability to relate to normal people.”

Silena gave a tight lipped smile. “Do you think he’ll forgive me?” 

“I don’t know, Silena,” Annabeth said, focusing on trying to keep her expression soft. “All I know is that Charles really loves you, so while I’m sure it’ll hurt, maybe… maybe what you guys have is enough.” 

Silena gave a real smile, her eyes shining. “I thought mob bosses were supposed to be better liars.” 

Again, Annabeth shrugged. “We all have off nights. Mob bosses are people too, ya know.” 

The front door opened, startling the women from their conversation. 

“Where is she?” a deep voice asked from down the hall. 

“Follow me,” Travis said. 

When Charlie entered the room, Silena felt like the wind was knocked out of her. Three years together and he still made her melt by doing something as simple as walking into the room. She spent her entire life believing in love, helping other people find it, and wishing desperately to find it herself. Then, that day in her dad’s chocolate shop, love itself walked in and introduced himself to her. Her life had never been the same since he slid those chocolates across the counter to her, and she didn’t know if she could live in a world where she didn’t get to go home every night to Charles Beckendorf. 

Annabeth stood, grabbing her bottle of whiskey as she slipped her high heels back on. “Travis, you and your brother can take me home. Leave the other car with Charles.” 

Travis reached into his jacket pocket and tossed a set of keys to Charles. “Fill her up before you bring her back, alright? The car, I mean.” 

Annabeth briskly walked up to Travis and turned him around, pushing him towards the door. As Travis disappeared into the hallway, Annabeth stopped and turned back around, locking eyes with Silena. 

She raised her glass and winked. “To love conquering all.” 

Silena raised her glass in kind, and quickly finished her drink. 

Annabeth took her leave and Charlie took his jacket off as he sat down on the chair closest to him. 

“So do you wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked. 

Silena stood, her legs a big shaky from the whiskey, and dragged a chair so she could sit right across from Charlie. “I have a lot to tell you, and I don’t think you’re going to be very happy with me when I do.” 

Charlie nodded. “I’ve been getting that vibe.” 

Silena reached out, taking Charlie’s hand in hers and began to trace his palm with her fingers. “Remember when Luke came over to the house for me to interview him?” 

“Yes,” Charlie said. 

“That’s not why he was over.” 

Silena told Charlie everything, from Luke’s threats to the text code all the way up until the events that had led to them being alone in Annabeth’s scary murder cabin. She avoided his eyes the entire time, keeping them fixed firmly on his hands which he did not remove from hers the entire time she spoke. When she finished, she finally took a deep breath, and summoned all of her available courage to look up at Charlie’s face. 

The first thing she noticed was the way he chewed on his bottom lip, and then the way his eyebrows knit together as if he were attempting to solve some complicated math equation. 

“Charlie?” she prompted, speaking softly. 

He looked at her then, his forehead relaxing as he released his bottom lip. His chocolate brown eyes stared into hers, and her heart seemed to beat faster and slower at the same time. Every instinct told her that they were done, that this was a betrayal that Charlie would never get past and she had ruined her only chance at true love. But then a small voice in the back of her mind seemed to cut through the chaos of her anxiety as it whispered, _he loves you._

Silena exhaled and Charlie squeezed her hand, using his other hand to pull her chair a bit closer. 

“I love you,” he said. “And I’m sorry that my job put you in this position. If you want out, I--” 

“No!” she said with a start. “Charlie, no, never. I-- I thought you would want out.” 

“Why?” he asked, his brow furrowed evenmore. 

“Because I betrayed you,” she said, the guilt weighing her down. 

Charlie shook his head. “You were trying to protect me. I could never ask for more than that.” 

Silena’s mind reeled at the lack of rejection she was facing. “I don’t know, I was just talking to Annabeth and she made it seem like we might not be able to come back from this.” 

Charlie smiled. “I love Annabeth, but she’s been through a lot, especially recently, so her threshold for trust is a lot higher than most people. And I know you, Silena, like the back of my hand. You would never do anything to hurt me. You love me.” 

Silena couldn’t stop herself from crying, and she leaned in to rest her forehead against Charlie’s. “You love me too.” 

“Damn straight, and I’m not about to let some dirty cop take this away from us.” 

He tugged on the side of Silena’s leg, prompting her to rise and quickly drop herself into his lap. They kissed each other deeply as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her as close as he could, wanting to prove that not even air could come between them. 

They separated to catch their breath for a moment and Charles tucked Silena’s hair behind her ear. “How about we make a deal though? No more cops in the house, ever. _Especially_ when I’m not home.” 

Silena laughed, scratching the back of Charlie’s head as she let her lips hover right over his. “Easiest deal I’ve ever made.” 

* * *

Annabeth sat slumped in her office chair with her feet up on the desk, wondering if it was possible to find sunglasses darker than the ones she was wearing. The door creaked open and she had more murderous thoughts than she had the previous night. 

Charles stepped in and Annabeth could barely muster a wave hello. 

“How many bottles of whiskey did you make it through?” He asked, a teasing smile on his face. 

Annabeth frowned as she pulled her feet off her desk and braced herself on the chair. “Just one… plus another one.” 

Charles chuckled warmly. “It was the good stuff, I hope?” 

“Oh only the best,” she replied as she laid her head down on the desk. “How’s Silena? Now before you answer, consider the fact that even this hungover I can see the sparkle in your eye and pep in your step that reeks of a man who has just had nightlong make up sex.” 

“As is so often the case, boss, you’re not wrong.”

“Just like that, huh?” she asked without lifting her head. 

Charles took a seat and rested his own head on the desk, mirroring Annabeth. “Not just like that, but… not every mistake happens because someone meant us harm.” 

Annabeth was silent for a moment, and Charles thought for a heartbeat that she might have passed out. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever know what it’s like to love someone like that,” she said sadly. 

Charles felt his heart break. He sat up, and gently brushed Annabeth’s hair from her face. “Sure you will, kid. But it’s okay if it doesn’t happen at twenty.”

“That’s when it happened for you.” 

“Yeah, well the Fates just had my back on that one. I got lucky.” 

Annabeth huffed as she lifted a hand to hold Charles’s in place on her head. “Your hands have always been so warm. It’s so weird.” 

“My mom always told me my dad’s hands were like that too.” 

“Well could you put the weirdness to use and squeeze the alcohol from my head?” 

“I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think it works like that.” 

“Ugh,” she groaned as she pulled his hand off and slowly sat up. “Remind me only to drink like that when I’m celebrating. Feeling like shit physically does nothing for me when I’m feeling like shit emotionally too.” 

“Speaking of which,” Charles began, leaning back in his chair. “How did the title transfer go?” 

“Smooth as…” she trailed off. 

“As?” 

“Jesus, I can’t do metaphors right now. It went well. Connor will be by soon with the flash drive for your man in IA.” 

“Letting the cops have Luke… didn’t think that’s how you’d play it, if I’m being honest.” 

“Well, if he and his associate want to sick the police on me and my business, it’s only polite to return the favor. And if my mother taught me anything, it was to always be polite.” 

Charles laughed as he shook his head. “And what about Mr. K? We're just gonna let him go?” 

Annabeth leaned her head against her arm. “Not by a long shot, but he’s a man who operates in the shadows. Losing Luke should send him scrambling for a bit, hopefully long enough to figure out what makes him tick.” 

“And when we figure that out?”

Annabeth scowled as she removed her sunglasses and looked Charles in the eye. “Then we send that motherfucker back to the hole he crawled out of.” 

* * *

Countless fairy lights dripped from every tree top in the garden, casting the party in their wondrous bright light. Percy looked up in awe, wondering exactly how many there were when he felt Annabeth tug on his arm. 

“Baby, you’re standing in the walkway,” she said with a laugh as she pulled him to the side. 

“Sorry,” he said quickly to the people he had been blocking. He turned to Annabeth and pointed up. “Why didn't you let me have this many fairy lights for our engagement party? We had like a third of what they have. We look like idiots.” 

“There were like ten people at our engagement party,” Annabeth said as she grabbed a champagne flute from a passing tray. 

Percy grabbed himself one too. “Yes, and each of those ten people would have liked more fairy lights.” 

“I’ll be sure to remember that for my next engagement party.” 

Percy fake laughed as he took a sip of bubbly. “Very funny.” 

Annabeth placed a kiss to his cheek. “You can have as many fairy lights at our wedding as you want, okay?” 

“You promise?” he said with a goofy grin. 

“I swear,” she said just as their lips met. 

“Hey, we’re supposed to be the only disgustingly in love people here!” a voice called. 

Percy and Annabeth separated to see Charles and a woman he assumed was Silena approaching, each of them smiling from ear to ear. 

“Percy, I just realized you and Silena have never officially met,” Charles said. “This is Silena Beauregard, my fiancee.” 

Silena stepped forward and hugged Percy. “He just likes saying that. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Charlie has told me so much.” 

“All good I hope,” Percy said with an expectant look at Charles. 

“Oh of course,” Silena said. 

She hugged Annabeth next, the women sharing a cheek kiss as they did so. 

“You look amazing,” Annabeth said with a smile. 

Silena waved the compliment away but Percy caught the way she blushed. She really did look stunning in a simple spaghetti strapped white floral lace dress that stopped just above her knees, her black hair cascading down her back. Charles couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, and Percy couldn’t blame him. 

“So how long have you two been together?” Percy asked. 

“Eleven years,” Charles said, wrapping an arm around Silena’s waist. 

Silena nudged him playfully. “He’s never been so slow to pull a trigger in his life.” 

“Excuse me, we waited so long because _someone_ wanted to wait until she was a successful journalist so her wedding would get covered in the paper.” 

Silena laughed and turned to Percy. “It’s true. My mother taught me the importance of a good sponsorship opportunity.” 

The four continued to chat, smiling and laughing under the magical twinkle of the lights as the champagne flowed freely. Soon, an older man with sandy brown hair and glasses that fit his face perfectly approached the small group, placing a hand on Silena’s back. 

“Honey, the photographer wants to get a few family shots.” 

“Okay, daddy,” Silena said, placing a kiss to the man’s cheek. “We’ll be right there.” 

The man walked off towards a large trellis adorned with fairy lights and white and pink roses, and Percy made a mental note of the decoration. 

“Thank you guys so much for coming, I know how busy you get Annabeth,” Silena said.

“Thank you for inviting us!” Percy said happily. “It’s cool to get to see Charles in his natural environment.”

Charles gave Percy the finger, which Percy pretended to grab and place in his pocket for later.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy and looked back at Silena. “Everything is beautiful and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” 

“Thank you, that means a lot. You’ve always been so good to me, Annabeth, and to Charlie. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us over the years,” Silena said, her eyes beginning to shine with tears. 

She shook her head as if to clear it of the overwhelming emotions and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my dad’s arm is gonna fall off if he keeps trying to wave me down.” 

Charles, Annabeth, and Percy watched as she rushed off, and Percy’s heart soared for the man who had become a close friend to him over the past year. 

“How did I get so lucky?” Charles asked. 

“Hard to say,” Annabeth teased. “I mean, she’s a hard ten and you’re like… a seven. On a good day.” 

“Don’t listen to her, Charles. You’re definitely a ten,” Percy corrected as he finished his champagne. 

“Thank you, Percy,” Charles said. “Definitely wasn’t gonna listen to my little sister’s opinion on my rating anyway.” 

Charles and Annabeth smiled at each other for a moment, as if there was nothing more they could fully communicate with words. Percy almost felt as though he was intruding when he noticed Annabeth’s eyes get misty as she placed a hand on Charles’s arm. 

“I’m so happy for you, Charles,” she said, her voice cracking slightly. “No one deserves it more.” 

Charles swept her up in a bear hug as Percy watched happily. He only knew a fraction of the things they had been through together, but anyone who saw them together could tell they had a bond that was unbreakable, and Percy felt privileged to have been let into their world. 

Charles was finally summoned for photos, and Percy and Annabeth promised to say goodbye before they left. 

“Should we find our table?” Annabeth asked. “I think we’re over there closest to the wedding party table.” 

“Wait,” Percy said, placing a hand on Annabeth’s arm dramatically. 

“What?” she asked with concern. 

Percy’s eyes grew big and he looked over to where Charles and Silena took pictures with their families. “Did she call him _Charlie_?” 

Annabeth walked off towards their table, pulling Percy by the tie after her. “If you call him that to his face, I can’t protect you.” 

“But what a way to go,” he said dreamily. 

* * *

“She thinks she’s won,” a man with a gravelly voice said as he watched Annabeth drop off Percy at his mom’s house. “But if she thinks I’m going to let her have a happy ending after everything she’s put me through, everything she’s taken from me… the little bitch has another thing coming.” 

“What do you wanna do, Mr. K?” the man in the front seat asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the street and the rear view mirror. 

The man in the back leaned forward until his sinister smile became visible under the street light. He raised a cigar to his lips, and as he exhaled the smoke obscured his face. “It’s been quite some time since our princess has had someone to lose… Call the General.” 

The driver pulled out a phone and dialed by memory. The line only rang twice before it was answered by a man with a harsh tone. 

“Speak.” 

The driver glanced into the rear view mirror nervously. “General, Mr. K has a pickup for you.”

  
  



End file.
